WWE News: Tons Of Internal Debate Over Direction Of Dean Ambrose On ‘SmackDown Live’
As SmackDown Live’s first selection, and the second overall pick in the WWE brand extension draft, Dean Ambrose was pinpointed as a flag-bearer for the new era of the blue brand. After all, Ambrose survived battles with former Shield members Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins to bring the WWE Championship with him to Tuesday nights.
The writing seemed to be on the wall for Dean to retain in his first post-brand split program with Dolph Ziggler that only ran through SummerSlam. But perhaps just as predictable, Ambrose’s reign had a shelf-life due to the meteoric rise of AJ Styles.
It was only fitting that Styles complete his remarkable “rookie” year in the WWE by becoming a world champion, even if that came at the expense of Dean Ambrose. An unlikely element in the form of James Ellsworth may have added an extra layer to the top SmackDown feud, but it was unrealistic to think that Ellsworth would have any long-term, significant program with either AJ Styles or Dean Ambrose in the aftermath.
So once the dust settled on the Styles-Ambrose-Ellsworth triangle, AJ eventually transitioned into a major feud with John Cena, Ellsworth interestingly got paired up with Carmella, and Ambrose segued into a storyline with The Miz. Styles and Cena makes complete sense (and top money) and moving Ellsworth out of the main event picture was for the best. But the pairing of The Miz and Dean Ambrose was the angle that raised the most eyebrows.
Since the brand split, both shows have experienced some issues with depth, which has, and will continue to result in longer programs and more heel/face turns. On SmackDown alone, we’ve already seen turns from Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler, Natalya, and The Usos since the show went live on Tuesday nights after the brand extension.
Dean Ambrose has remained a babyface since the final months of The Shield, and though there had been some discussion early on in the brand split, there has been no talk of turning him heel lately. Where the discussion — and a lot of debate, for that matter — has lied with Ambrose in recent weeks, pertained to giving him the Intercontinental Championship, according to a report from Daily Wrestling News.
There was a lot of concern among WWE officials that by giving Ambrose the IC title, it would be perceived as a demotion of sorts by the WWE Universe. They felt the Intercontinental Championship would make him appear as lesser of a star. However, it was Vince McMahon that made the final decision to put the belt on him because he believed he would continue bringing prestige to it, just as The Miz had.
It’s interesting that Vince would green-light the title switch as reviews have been incredibly positive for The Miz since the brand split. Reuniting him with wife Maryse has been extremely successful and his previous program with Dolph Ziggler was widely viewed as the most compelling feud in the entire company, not just SmackDown.
The pairing raised eyebrows because of the contrasting styles of The Miz and Dean Ambrose. But from an entertainment perspective, incorporating Ambrose’s real-life relationship with Renee Young has provided a jolt. This, despite the company’s initial hesitance to unveil that personal aspect into a worked storyline.
As noted, the SmackDown creative staff has to work extra hard because of the limited options at their disposal. Randy Orton may have been an option for Dean Ambrose at one point, but officials have been impressed with the Wyatts program within the tag team division. And it’d likely be far too soon to reignite something with Bray Wyatt considering the length of their last run. That left Baron Corbin and The Miz, and even though the IC belt is the mid-carders championship, Vince felt Ambrose would continue to elevate it as we move toward WrestleMania.
[Featured Image by WWE]
